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LIFE BOAT.

No. 349,499. Patented Sept.. 21, 1886;

Am9 wf 9T l UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

` oHARLEs aHEEnIoI; AND DANIEL w. BILLINes, on EENwIoII, MICH.

LIFE-BOAT.

SPECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 349,499, dated September 21, 1886.

Application filed December 3, 1885. Serial No. 184,544.

(No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, `CHARLES R. HERRICK and DANIEL W.BILI.ING s, citizensofthe United States, residing at Fenwick, in the county of Montcalm and VState of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life- Boats; and we'do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertaius to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and ligures of reference Inarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention has relation to improvements in life-boats; and it consists in the construction, novel arrangement, and adaptation of devices, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide a boat which may be cheaply constructed, buoyant, durable, and air-tight, and one that will readily right itself when capsized. These objects we accomplish by the means shown in' the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side view of a boat constructed according to our invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section in detail through one of the airports .I and its valve or plunger and handle. Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-section through the pump, and the check-valve in the discharge` pipe thereof.

In carrying out our invention we form the body'of the boat in torpedo shape, being composed of staves and hoops. The staves taper on their longitudinal edges toward opposite ends, and are securely held in position by means of external hoops, as shown. The external hoops are advantageous over internal hoops, as they may be driven on from each end and force the staves into close conjunction, besides obviating the danger of the fastening devices becoming loosened, as might be the casewereinternal hoops used, it being necessary to break the external hoop before the staves will be loosened or spread. This body may have a wheel-house about midway its length and in the longitudinal central line of the boat, or it may have a Wheelhouse on opposite sides when it is desirable to use two wheels. Vhen two wheels are employed, a

crank-shaft is carried through the boat trans versely, so as to afford the occupants a conoblong platform and a hatchway, which may n be surrounded by a suitable guard.

Referring by letter to the said drawings, A indicates the boat-body, which is circular in cross-section and tapers to opposite ends from its central portion. This body may be provided with windows B and a ladder leading from the hatchway G to the inner floor, as more fully shown in dotted lines.-

C indicates the keel, and D the helm.

E indicates the Wheelhouse, and F the wheel therein.

H indicates the platform, and I the hatchway. The hatch-door may be provided with rubber or the like in'its engaging parts, so as to form an air and watertight joint when closed.

J indicates air-ports arranged on the top of the boat, and one at each end of the platform, and are each constructed with an external flaring air-collector, from which leads into the boat a rectangular pipe having an aperture, a2, for the admission of air and water, as shown in Fig. 2. These ports are 4provided with valves or elastic plungers a', which enter the said ports, and are connected with pi'voted hand-levers a a, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, whereby the said ports may be opened and closed, as desired, and the hatch is provided with a sight, so that the occupants may look out from the boat, and when its top is above the surface of the water open its ports for ventilation. The two levers a c are arranged at or near the middle of the length of the boat, and in such close relation to each other that one man can close or open both valves when desired. By this construction the boat may erative.

be made both air and water tight; but should any water enter from the ports or otherwise, it may be drawn out and discharged bythe pump K, which is provided with a cheek-valve in its discharge-spout, as shown in Fig. 3.

This invention is especially designed for ]if'eboats, which in a heavy sea are sometimes nearly or completely submerged. The two ports J J, which supply air to the interior of the boat for sustaining life therein, will frequently take in water, and require to be frequently closed by the plungers or valves a', to do which and to have a doubleender the two air-suppl y ports, their valves, and lthe two independent levers a a are necessary for the purpose of properly Ventilating the interior of the boat and making it practically opln combination with the said .airsupply ports and their valves and independ ent operative parts, and 'for the purpose of relieving the boat of water taken in through the ports, we must employ a pumping-engine, K, located, substantially as shown in Fig. l,for

' the purpose of forcibly discharging this water from the interior of the boat as rapidly as it accumulates.

Having described our invention, whatwe claim is- 1. A life-boat provided with air-ports J, located near the endsof the staging or deck, and communicating with the interior of the boat by means of angular pipes provided with inlets, in combination with plungers in said pipes for closing said inlets, connected by rods to hand-levers, substantially as described.

2. A life-boat consisting of a cigar-shaped hull constructed as described, and provided with wheel-houses, propellers therein, windows, a staging or deck, a broad keel, a pilothouse having windows, air`-eol1eetors at both ends of the staging, valves therein operative as described, and apumping-out engine, as shown and described.

. In testimony whereof we affix oursignatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES R. HERRICK. DANIEL V. BILLINGS.

Vitnesses:

J E. GARDNER, T. D. PARKs. 

